


Adventures on the Surface

by PorlPoint



Category: Undertale
Genre: Alphynecentric, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Found Family, Frisk deals with time travel stuff, Hurt/Comfort, POV Third Person, Post-Pacifist Route, Team as Family, This WILL end happily, lots of alphyne, most of the pov will be from Undyne, plot heavy, so does Sans
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-18
Updated: 2016-06-25
Packaged: 2018-05-07 07:40:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5448611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PorlPoint/pseuds/PorlPoint
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>*I'm really really sorry guys, but I'll have to put this fic on indefinite hiatus. I'm starting collage soon and my friend and I are working on another fic together. I hope to continue this some day, and I have wrote some more, but I don't want to keep dragging it out when I have so little energy.*</p><p>After escaping the Underground, the monsters are looking forward to the adventure of a lifetime-exploring the surface. They knew the humans may fear them, but they didn't anticipate what that fear would make them do.<br/>Forced to split up into groups, hunted by humans, the monsters must now engage in a far different adventure than they had hoped- keeping themselves and their friends alive until Frisk can convince the humans that monsters aren't a threat.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, I first wanted to write this because I noticed a sad, sad lack of Alphyne fics. And most fics tagged with Alphyne weren't even really about them. And I also couldn't find very many plot heavy Undertale fics that weren't sans/reader and I'm sorry I just cannot do that. (no offence to the sans/reader fans)
> 
> Now, it's not all Alphyne all the time, because I am also a fan of plot heavy fics and ensemble casts, but Alphyne will be a big part of it. Frisk will also play a major role, as will Sans.
> 
> Basically this is me donating an Alphyne adventure fic to the tag because it's what I'd want to read, and I feel like there are others who would too.
> 
> ALSO, I'm sorry this chapter is so short. It was the natural cut off point, and I'm already writing the next one. Think of this as the prologue.

 

Undyne watched in horror as Alphys fell to the ground, already starting to disintegrate.

Undyne wanted to scream, she wanted to tear the humans that did this apart. They were standing over her girlfriend's corpse, looking satisfied as Alphys turned to dust.  
Tears welled in Undynes eyes as she pounded her fists on the ground and then she did scream.

The humans were going to kill her next, but that hardly mattered. They already killed Alphys because she wasn't strong enough to protect her. Undyne bent over on the ground, wounded, too weak to stand. So she sank down completely, and cried. There was nothing left to do.

~~~~~

Undyne woke abruptly, like something had pulled her out of sleep.  
She gasped, and shot upwards into a sitting position.  
Beside her, Alphys lay sleeping, arms folded around her pillow.

 _Okay,_ Undyne thought, _okay...we're on Ebott...that was just a dream._

She shaking like a leaf, which was not something a warrior wanted to do.

Trying to calm her nerves, she looked to the sky. This was real, because Undyne could never have imagined how beautiful the stars were. Even sleeping on blankets and nothing else, this was incredible.  
But right now she wasn't thinking about the scenery.  
She rubbed her hand over Alphys's head, trying to get it into her mind that she was alive.

 _That felt dream was so real_ , Undyne thought, shuddering slightly, _it felt...it was real._  
But it wasn't real. Alphys was alive. Alphys was right next to her, Undyne was still brushing her hand against yellow scales.

Undyne's breathing was ragged as though she had been running, and no matter how much she told herself that she only had a dream, she couldn't calm down.  
She had felt true hopelessness, and she should be crying with joy that it hadn't actually happened.  
Undyne's heart beat fast as she tried to get her breathing under control.  
_Damn, I'm going to wake Alphys if I keep shanking and generally falling apart._  
First night out on the surface, and she was already full of fear. Damnit, she was supposed to be a warrior! She was in the Royal Guard!

Needing some space, she stood up softy, unusual for her, and walked away from the clusters of sleeping monsters. Even though they had their warm beds back underground, no one wanted to leave the surface.

When Undyne was satisfied with the distance, she leaned against the mountain and sank to the floor. The stone was cold against her back, and it reminded her a bit of Waterfall.

It was quite a while before she felt normal enough to bother looking around to make sure she didn't wake anybody.  
Unfortunately, Frisk and Sans were both up, talking off in the distance.  
Embarrassment swept over Undyne like a wave.  
"Shit, shit. God fucking damn it," she muttered to herself, "woke up the kid. Sans sleeps all day so that's alright but Frisk needs rest."  
Undyne figured she should probably get back to bed herself, but something in her was frozen in place.  
What if when she slept, she would be back there, back on the ground in a puddle of blood and tears?  
What if this was the dream and that was reality?  
_No, no, don't think that._

As quietly as she could, Undyne tip-toed back over to her blanket and pillow. On the way she caught Frisk's eye as the child gave her a quizzical look.  
_They always look like that,_ Undyne told herself, _no one really noticed anything._  
She sat down on the blankets, and stared at Alphys some more. Then she felt her own side, remembering the sting of whatever injury she had sustained during the fight.  
The fight that didn't really happen.

"It didn't happen, it didn't happen, it didn't happen," she whispered to herself, curling her knees up to her chest.

She knew she should get some sleep. But she didn't want to sleep. What if this was the dream?  
What if she was asleep in some makeshift hospital bed, after having somehow survived.  
But Alphys was definitely dead. She had died.

Right now things felt real to Undyne, she could feel the cold air and see the stars above, but the dream had been so vivid that it was hard to detach from that world.

_It was just a dream._

_I don't know what happened before dream Alphys died,_ she reasoned with herself, _and I can remember what happened before I went to sleep on this mountain._  
_Logically, this was reality._  
Undyne still didn't want to go to sleep.  
When she scanned the area as she fidgeted with the hem of the covers, she saw that Frisk had gone back to bed but Sans was still up. Staring at her.  
She shot him an angry look, trying to communicate that he needed to stop fucking staring and mind his own goddam business.

In the end Undyne didn't sleep, some small part of her still afraid that if she went to sleep she would discover that the dream was real. And even though she knew that wasn't true, no part of her wanted to relive it. She was too afraid to fall asleep and experience the terror again.

Throughout the night she would sometimes reach out and poke Alphys lightly, out of some weird object permanence issues Undyne was feeling.  
Until the next day, Undyne just wanted to reassure herself that Alphys was with her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed, and like I said before, the other chapters will not be this short!  
> If anyone has any Alphyne headcanons that they'd like to share please tell me in the comments, because it might be something cool to include in the fic~  
> A big part of why I wanted to write this was to contribute to the Alphyne fandom, so I hope I make some fellow Alphyne trashbags happy~


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Undyne deals with more anxiety than she's used to, and Frisk takes a moment to think on past events.

 

It wasn't all that long before the sun began to rise, and some monsters were already getting up, marveling at the pastel colors painted accros the sky,

Undyne rubbed her eye, tired but in no mood too go to sleep.  
  
Sans was also up, and staring at her.

Had he been watching her all night? Creepy.  
This still worried her though, because if he had been watching her then he saw that she just sat next to Alphys and occasionally poked her.

Well, who cared what that stupid skeleton thought.

Soon Asgore and Toriel were both awake so Undyne got up to go talk to them about their next move now that the first night was over.

It would probably be a good thing to take her mind off the dream.  
  
"Hey!" She softy called as she approached the king and queen.  
  
"Good morning, Undyne," Asgore smiled.  
  
Toriel said good morning too, but she didn't exactly look pleased. Must be because of Asgore.  
Undyne thought Toriel was being more than a bit too hard on Asgore after all the pressure he was under to give hope back to the kingdom.  
Not that Undyne had actually been there when it happened, she just heard Gerson's account and some of Asgore's more reserved story.  
  
"Yo, King, what's our plan here?"  
  
Asgore and Toriel exchanged a  
glance.  
"We're going to go meet the humans," Toriel said, "but not yet. Most monsters are still asleep. Which leads me to ask, why are you awake, Undyne?"  
There was true concern in her voice, almost sounding parental. Asgore, who also looked with worried eyes, did say she was nurturing.  
  
"The sun's up," Undyne said, pointing, trying not to look defensive, "it's morning."  
  
"It's five in the morning," said Asgore, "and you went to bed late after going to the Underground to get blankets for everyone. Toriel and I are only up because we happened to wake up early, and we wanted time to plan while everyone else sleeps. You should go back to bed."  
  
"No," Undyne said, a little to strongly.  
_Damn it, I'm still afraid of the stupid dream?_  
  
"May I talk to you for a bit?" Asgore asked, stepping away from Toriel.  
  
"Sure," Undyne grunted in response, not liking how much this reminded her of when she was young. He was seeing her as that little kid.  
  
They both walked a short distance, and Asgore spoke, his voice firm yet caring.  
"You look unwell."  
  
"I'm fine," Undyne snapped, "just...didn't get much sleep."

"May I ask why not?"  
  
"No."  
  
There was a long silence.  
  
"Okay," Asgore conceded, "but I want you to know that you can come to me with any worries you have. You don't have to keep up the tough warrior persona all hours of the day."  
  
"I just had a bad dream last light. It felt real."  
As she admitted this, Undyne's cheeks heated with embarrassment.  
  
Asgore frowned sympathetically, placing a large hand on Undyne's shoulder.  
"I get those. Usually about Asriel."  
He sighed.  
"I understand how much it takes out of you."  
  
Undyne relaxed a little, sagging her shoulders and letting out a long breath.  
"I'll be fine. I'm in the royal guard, I can handle humans."  
  
"Did you dream of humans?"  
  
"...kinda."  
  
Asgore didn't say anything else, just pulled her into a big fluffy hug, and then went back to Toriel.  


Undyne was regaining her composure until-

"Hey."  
Whipping around, her heart nearly jumping out of her chest, Undyne turned around to see Sans.  
  
"Wow. You usually don't startle easy. Don't tell me Papyrus is rubbing off on you."  
  
At first she thought of making some comment about how she was tough and ate rocks and was not jumpy, just alert, but Undyne wanted to get to the reason Sans was really here.  
  
"This better be you telling me why you were spying on me last night."  
  
"Spying is a strong word."  
  
Undyne didn't dignify that with a response.  
  
"Well, I just wanted to check in and make sure you were alright after, you know, only getting like four hours of sleep? Oh, and that reminds me, you should really sleep. Sleep is good. The sun's still rising, you've got time."  
  
"And why are you suddenly being practical?"  
  
"Because..." Sans replied, the lights in his eyes dimming, "you're the captain of the royal guard. Us civilian monsters rely on you. I wouldn't want you to be off your game when we do meet the humans. Who knows what could happen?"  
  
Undyne's blood ran cold, anxiety seeping in.  
"I...I need to go."  
  
She made her exist hastily, bowing her head in shame. Sans was right. She was being weak and everyone needed her to be strong. What the hell was going on with her?  
  
Alphys was still sleeping, blankets curled around her like a cocoon.  
Undyne settled in next to her, pulling covers around herself. Right now her hair was a mess from sleeping with it still up, so she pulled the hair tie out, letting the long strands fall. Red hair framed her face as she sat slightly bent over, staring at the ground.  
The mountain air was chilly and the world felt so, so vast.

"That's it," Undyne grumbled to herself, "I'm going the fuck to sleep. Not letting that skeleton be right..."

What she intended to do was to flop down indignantly on her pillow, but what happened was her foot getting tangled in the edge of the covers, changing the angle at which she fell, and resulted in Undyne indignantly flopping down onto hard earth.

"Fuuuuuuck," Undyne hissed, hands gripping her face.

"U-Undyne?" came a small voice behind her.

 _God damn it. God fucking damn it._  

She had woken up Alphys.

"Yeah?"

"A-are you okay?"

Undyne didn't really know how to answer that. There wasn't a quick way to say that she had a nightmare about the both of them being slaughtered by humans, was too afraid to go back to sleep, got told off by a lazy skeleton, and then slammed her fucking head into the ground.

"I'm alright."

"Are y-you sure?"

"Yup," Undyne mumbled, wanting to sink right back into the Underground.

And then she felt something else on her face. Oh no. She was about to cry.

_Just stay still, and don't-_

And she did. The sharp intake of breath happened involuntarily.

"Un...dyne?" Alphys asked quietly, "it's okay to- to c-cry. I don't know what-what's wrong but whatever it is..."  
She didn't finish her sentence, just wrapped her arms around Undyne and pulled her closer.

The caring and comfort made Undyne cry even more, thinking about what she had. What she could lose. If she didn't shape up, didn't stop getting scared over nothing, she wouldn't be able to protect her loved ones.

"Shhh," Alphys whispered, "whatever it is...it's...a-alright."

"Sorry for waking you," was all Undyne could say without crying even harder. This was not normal for her at all. She was strong and tough and didn't let the threat of danger get to her. Even on the surface, a whole new place full of being inherently stronger than her, she should still have been able to keep it together.

"I don't m-mind," said Alphys, clearly worried, her voice higher than normal.

Undyne knew just what Alphys sounded like when she got nervous or scared, and she didn't want to be the one causing it.

_I'm such a mess._

Alphys started rubbing Undyne's arm slowly, and after a few hesitant moments, nuzzled her nose into Undyne's neck. She was definitely nervous, but it warmed Undyne's heart that she cared enough to initiate anything romantic.

The feeling of Alphys's breath on her neck and the hand stroking smooth lines down her arm lulled Undyne into a more relaxed state, and then to sleep.  
  
~~~~~~~~~

When Frisk woke up, having gone back to sleep right after their nighttime conversation with Sans, monsters were chatting happily around them.  
This brought a smile to their face, and they reached over to poke Kid awake.

Kid yawned, stretching out their legs and then swinging themself into a sitting position.

"I still can't believe how cool the sky is!" Kid exclaimed, "I thought it was gonna be like...just blue. But it's...different shades of blue! And at night it was black, and before night it was pink and purple! Frisk, why would you ever want to leave the sky? Well, I mean I'm glad that you did go to the Underground because now we can all look at the sky!"

Frisk smiled politely, and replied "I just wanted to run away, the place where I grew up wasn't for me." They didn't like going into details about why they climbed Mt. Ebott.

Now, the trouble was getting off of Ebott. Last week...today...they had gone to meet the humans, who were scared, thinking that monsters were all evil. That's all they had grown up hearing. Frisk had tried to reason with them, but they wouldn't see sense. They attacked.

The monsters that had made the journey down had to hide, and then were forced to flee the area, leaving the rest behind.  
After a few days of hiding and desperately trying to think of a plan, the humans came with weapons.

Frisk had been fighting with the monsters, but they weren't used to fighting at all. In the Underground they had mostly dodged.

The battle was in the middle of a secluded road surrounded by trees, with nowhere to hide.

Frisk was beaten quickly, but the humans didn't kill them. So they had to slump at the side of the road, hurting everywhere and unable to fight, as the humans brought in reinforcements and slaughtered Frisk's friends. All this was a blur in their mind, but Frisk still remembered.

Asgore had been the first to die. Before the battle began and the monsters knew they were cornered, he had tried to surrender peacefully.  
The humans, a group that were not military but knew how to shoot, had beckoned him over to try and negotiate something.

Then they stabbed him in the neck.  
Papyrus was next, and then Greater Dog.

All of the sentries were dropping like flies, and the civilian monsters stood no chance.

Sans and Undyne fought with more rage than Frisk had ever seen in either of them.

Undyne was eventually overpowered, already hindered by the fact that she also had to protect Alphys, who could use magic for fighting but was way out of her league in that battle. The humans didn't stop once Undyne was on the ground, they kept beating her, kicking and stabbing.

Alphys screamed her name, and she had looked up just in time to see Alphys murdered.

Then Toriel died trying to save Sans, knowing he only had one HP.

Frisk wasn't crying, just frozen in place. They couldn't believe this was happening.

Then something hit them very hard, and everything went dark.

Frisk realized that their soul wasn't completely gone.

And if that was true, the save files must still work.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Frisk had saved one last time right after everyone had settled down on the mountain.  
They had been surprised to see the glowing spark, having assumed that there would be no more saves since they left the Underground.  
  
Thank goodness they had saved then, or else Frisk would have had to go through the trip to the surface again.  
It was a wonderful moment, but Frisk wouldn't have been able to smile the second time after what they knew had happened.

That might have changed the past, which was the last thing Frisk wanted to do. Sans had warned them that messing with time was dangerous when they had a brief talk in the underground about Frisk's ability and about how Sans could also remember.

After the save file on the surface was loaded, after Frisk woke up in the middle of the night, they found Sans and discussed what to do next.

They were both determined to help all monsters take their rightful place on the surface without anyone having to die. There must be a way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! It means a lot to me~  
> Kudos, and hopefully comments soon, are very much appreciated too. :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Plans are made.  
> So are threats.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, sorry for the delay!  
> I just finished a book I was writing and most of my time for writing is going into that, so I can't write fic all that often.  
> That said, I love the undertale fandom so I am v happy to write for it!  
> Also I hope this is good enough to be enjoyable, because my fic writing skills are way below my original stuff.

Alphys had woken up with Undyne in her arms, and smiled to herself until she realized how she got there.

 

That was so un...Undyne. I'm used to being the nervous one.

 

She was unsure how she was going to handle this side of Undyne, fretting that all attempts of support would be go wrong.

 

_ I can't even support myself... _

 

Alphys's arms tightened slightly as anxiety flared inside her.

 

_ What kind of girlfriend can't be supportive? What if I can't make her feel better? _

 

Undyne looked peaceful sleeping, which was completely adorable. Alphys tried to think about how content she looked now, and not last night.

 

Eventually Alphys figured she should get up, and she tried to pull away from Undyne without too much disturbance. 

 

Undyne stirred slightly, running a hand over her face and mumbling something.

 

Alphys stayed still or a moment and saw Undyne's eyes flutter open and then flit over to where she was.

"Mornin," Undyne said sleepily, and then looked away as if remembering something.

"Hey. Uh...sorry about last night. I, uh, was...I had a pretty bad nightmare."

"Oh..."

Alphys considered just leaving the subject alone, but she wanted to know what had made Undyne that upset.

As Undyne sat up slowly, Alphys decided she would ask.

"W-would it be okay...okay if I asked...what it was a-about?"

Heat rose to her face as soon as she spoke. 

_ What if that's too intrusive? _

 

"..."

 

Alphys was looking away in shame, just waiting for Undyne to get mad or feel attacked.

 

"...there were humans."

 

Alphys perked up at that, looking back at Undyne in surprise.

She looked like she wanted to say more, so Alphys waited patiently.

 

"They had killed you, and they were going to kill me. I know it's just a dream but it felt like I was really there. Just...got a little freaked out.

And then Sans said I wouldn't be able to protect anyone if I didn't get any sleep. Kinda...uh...made me panic a bit, given what...I saw."

 

"I'm s-sorry," Alphys told her, wishing there was something actually useful to say, "if I'm really honest...I-I'm worried about you. H-humans can be very violent and they're souls are just stronger than monster souls."

 

"I can't show any weakness. Monsters need to feel safe with me around."

 

"I feel safe."

 

Blush rose to Undyne's cheeks and she smiled, biting her lip.

 

"You're gonna bleed if you do that?" Alphys warned her, eyeing the sharp teeth.

 

"Nah, I'm good. They're not all that sharp actually."

Then she grinned some more, still looking away.

"You wanna feel it?"

 

"Undyne!" Alphys gasped, heat rising to her face, but also interested in the offer.

 

Undyne collapsed into giggles at this, so Alphys was just happy she was relaxing, even if it meant being mega embarrassing.

 

"We've only k-kissed like...twice," Alphys reminded her, a small smile on her lips, "that might...ah...be moving a bit fast."

 

"Wanna make that three kisses?"

Undyne turned to face Alphys and propped herself up on her elbow.

 

Alphys's mind went a bit blank but she managed the word "yes."

  
  


~~~~~~~~~

 

Sans and Frisk stood back from Toriel and Asgore, just enough so they could talk without being overheard but still listen in on the plans.

 

"Alright kid, we've gotta think of a way to get the humans to act more...not stabby."

 

"I don't think there is a way."

 

"Then how are we supposed to make it off of this mountain alive?"

 

"..."

 

"Yeah, yeah, I'm asking a 12 year old. Or however old you are. I'm the adult...I should figure something out."

 

"No," replied Frisk, "you're a skeleton."

 

They both laughed, then Frisk looked into the distance in deep contemplation, anxiety scratching around somewhere near their stomach.

 

_ I'm used to tough situations. I made it through the underground. I can do this. _

 

"We should probably send our less intimidating monsters," Sans shrugged, "which means not me or Pap, because they find skeletons strangely frightening. And no Undyne, because she's Undyne. Hm...no Asgore either, that guy's tall..."

 

"Toriel," Frisk said, "she's the first monster I met and I felt perfectly safe."

 

"Right. And you should go too. You're one of them, so that will probably help form some trust."

 

"I was there last time, it didn't seem to help."

 

"What if we just sent you and Toriel to greet the humans?"

 

"...That could work."

 

"I'll tell Tori. See what she thinks."

 

~~~~~~~~

 

"Hey...Undyne?"

 

"Yeah?"

 

"D-do you think you'll h-have to deal with the humans a lot?"

 

"Maybe. If they're violent."

 

The two monsters were sitting near the edge of the platform they were on looking off at the trees and faint dots and lines that made up the town beyond.

 

Undyne looked over at Alphys, cocking her head in a questioning manner.

 

"B-be careful, okay? If you...d-deal with the humans."

 

Undyne's smile was less vibrant than normal when she said "of course. Always am."

 

Maybe it's because that was a lie. It's possible that Undyne might think that to be true, but Alphys knew better. Undyne could get reckless. She was a hero first and a monster second, so she didn't regard her own well being as much as she should.

 

_ I'm one to talk,  _ Alphys thought bitterly.

 

She just had one more question.

"Are you okay now? I m-mean better than last night."

 

A wide toothy grin spread across Undyne's face and she moved one hand to rest on Alphys's.

"Yeah."

 

Soft footsteps approached them and they both turned to greet Frisk.

As usual, the child's face was unreadable.

"Toriel and I are going to meet the humans."

 

Dread settled in Undyne's stomach, but she let the child finish what they had come to say.

 

"We think we won't frighten them. I'm a human and Toriel just looks nice."

 

"Frisk, they could be too dangerous for you to go without a bodyguard," was Undyne's immediate response. 

 

"Mom's strong."

 

"I know, but..."

 

"I think they'd be scared of you..." The child shuffled their feet, "no offense."

 

Undyne frowned, knowing they were right. Normally being scary was a good thing.

 

"What if s-something goes wrong? D-do you have a w-way to communicate with us? We d-don't have cell signals or undernet anymore. I haven't set up a-anything."

 

"I have some walkie talkies back in my house," came Sans's voice, "you can take one of them."

 

Frisk was silent for a moment. 

"That'll take too long. Your house is in Snowdin."

 

"I can't let you do that," said Undyne, frowning in annoyance, "you're a child...you can't just go with only one other person. I don't have to be the guard, there's the canine unit. They're not scary!"

 

"I think it'll go best if we listen to Frisk," Sans shrugged, "they're a human, they get humans."

 

"S-Sans..." Alphys added in a small voice, "w-we n-n....need to be c-careful."

 

Alphys was shrinking under Sans's gaze, clearly intimidated, probably by the emotionless grin he so often wore.

 

That was crossing a line, so Undyne placed a hand protectively over Alphys's shoulder and shot Sans a glare.

 

He shrugged apologetically.

 

_ That's the only fucking body language he's capable of. _

 

And now that Undyne thought about it...Sans was being rather mean. Sure, he was a bit of a slacker, but he was usually a kind slacker. She wanted to ask "what's gotten into him" but then realized that she hadn't been herself either since coming to the surface.

Best not to pick a fight in front of the kid, too.

_ What's that thing Papyrus always says? _

_ "I'm a skeleton with standards." _

_ Well, I'm a fish with standards. Some standards. _

 

"I'm really not comfortable with the kid going without proper protection. And I really doubt that Toriel would want that either. She's protective."

Undyne thought that maybe she could make Sans see her point of view by being as civil as she could at the moment.

 

"We already got the okay from her," said Sans.

 

_ Of course he did. The two of them are best pals, apparently.  _

 

"Please, Undyne," Frisk said, "I can do it. It will be okay."

 

"Sorry kid, but I'm head of the royal guard and I'm gonna guard the royals, and every monster here."

 

"Fine," said Sans, startling everyone.

 

Frisk turned quickly to face him, trying to convey their utter confusion without seeming too obvious.

 

"Of course, if you came, I would have to insist that we bring some others too since the "small unthreatening group" idea is gone.

I'd say we should bring Asgore, since he's king and all. Gerson, since he's an adventurer, and Alphys..."

 

Undyne's heart skipped a beat, and from the way she felt Alphys twitch, she had a similar reaction."

 

"Because she knows a lot about humans," Sans finished, looking aloof but unmistakably deliberate.

 

"No!" Undyne found herself snapping before she really had time to think, but then continued with something coherent.

"The party will have Frisk, and they’re a human. There's no need to bring Alphys."

 

"Frisk's a kid," Sans replied, "having an adult that can communicate well with them will do us some good. And it's not like Frisk's very talkative."

 

Frisk, pretty much proving his point, shook their head vigorously, distress written across their face. Almost begging Sans to drop the idea.

 

"Sans..." They muttered, "I don't think...."

 

"It'll be okay," Sans replied casually, "with all the monsters around you should be safe. In fact, I'll go talk to Toriel about the new lineup."

 

He took one slippered step before Undyne spoke.

 

"This is a bad idea!"

 

Dread was coiling around her, covering her heart and soul, and underneath it was anger. But she had to keep it together.

 

"Well, it's either this one or the original plan..."

 

"F-fine," Undyne spat, starting to shake. Whether in fear or anger, she didn't know.

"I think your plan makes more sense..." she continued, trying not to grind her fangs, "lots monsters will probably freak them out."

Undyne felt her skin flare in embarrassment, raw indignation running through her veins. Undyne did not surrendered, but this time she would have to because she also promised herself that she would protect Alphys. 

Whatever game Sans was playing, she would have to play along.

 

"Good to know we understand each other," Sans grinned, like always.

 

Frisk looked shocked, followed Sans as he walked away, then frantically whispered something.

 

"D-did he just..." Alphys whimpered, voice hushed, "m-make a th-threat?"

 

"That...bastard!" growled Undyne, slamming her fist to the ground.

Alphys squeaked in surprise and Undyne immediately felt guilty.

She wrapped her arms around her girlfriend and leaned in, trying to silently convey that she was sorry for scaring her even more.

She was just so angry, she thought as she rubbed her hands along Alphy’s scales, and she thought she knew Sans...

The way Papyrus talked about him...he said his brother was a great guy. He was lazy... But he wasn't the kind of guy who would play on your worst fears to get his way.

_ But…  _ Undyne thought grimly, still feeling the light-headed anxiety from the conversation,  _ I guess he is that kind of guy. Cause that's what he just did. _

 

"Wh-what's g-gotten into Sans?" Alphys spoke softy, "w-was h-he t-tying to sc-scare me? We b-barely kn-know each o-other."

 

"He was trying to scare me,” Undyne practically spap, rage bubbling over again.

 

Alphys stayed silent for a moment, and then hugged Undyne tightly.

The coils of anger and fear receded slightly as Undyne leaned into the hug, relaxing her muscles. Alphys almost always had that effect on her. Alphys was warm and safe. 

 

"Y-y-you're really that worried a-about-"

But Undyne wouldn't let her finish.

"Of course I am," she insisted, almost angry sounding, not all that calm anymore. "I love you."

Alphys laughed nervously, resting her head on Undyne's shoulder, her face brushing against her neck.

"I-I don't know if I'll ever get used to h-hearing that."

Though Undyne's heart broke a little, knowing Alphys's self esteem issues all too well, a toothy grin spread across her face.

"Better get used to it, punk!"

 

Even if Undyne was powerless to help all monsterkind, she would always be there to help Alphys.

Undyne hugged the small monster tighter, planting kiss after kiss on her scaly head.

Alphys blushed deeply and giggled, at a loss for words.

Good thing Undyne had lots of words, even if at the moment they were only "I love you."

God knows Alphys needed those words more than anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! I'm still editing my original novel, so I can only write fic on my phone when I have time.   
> But!!  
> I will not give up. There needs to be more Alphyne adventure stories.

Frisk and Toriel had been gone for an hour.  
Everyone on the mountain did well to maintain a facade of calm, but Undyne could tell that everyone was at least a little worried.  
Alphys had told her that an hour wasn't all that long when you factor in the walk time down the mountain, but Undyne was so on edge she practically jumped at everyone broken twig or bout of running footsteps.  
She and Alphys were leaning against the side of the mountain and watching the sun rise fully into the sky.  
"It's beautiful," Alphys had said, "I had s-seen pictures...but this is better."  
"This is the best," Undyne had agreed, "but I can't let my guard down until the business with the humans is dealt with."

Kid and a small rabbit monster were chasing each other in circles, mercifully far away from the edge of the mountain.  
Undyne had seen Kid trip over their own feet too many times to trust them near the edge of a coffee table.

Footsteps approached and Undyne look up to see Alphys's friend Mettaton casting a long shadow over her sun.  
And wasn't that a pretty good way to describe how much energy he managed to suck out of any space he was allowed in.  
But...he was Alphys's best friend.  
Which, in Undyne's humble opinion, was a title he only inherited after Undyne had moved from that position to "girlfriend."  
Some friend he'd been.  
But...she always had to remind herself, for some reason he was still Alphys's best friend.   
She tried her best not to threaten him with a spear.

"Aren't you two lonely over here?" He asked in the human-like, though still metallic, voice of his new body, "why not join the party?"

"This isn't a party," Undyne said through her fangs, "this is us waiting to see if the humans intend to shove us right back into the Underground."

"Honey," Mettaton whispered to Alphys, though still obviously within earshot, "I think your beau is a little cranky."

"You two can go party if you want," Undyne groaned, "but I'm keeping vigilant since no one else is."

Mettaton shrugged and hauled Alphys to her feet, rambling on about something as they both left.

While everyone enjoyed the surface and relaxed, Undyne planned defensive matters.  
If the humans attacked, they needed a place to retreat.  
As much as Undyne would hate to force everyone back into the underground, that could end up being the only option.  
With the barrier gone, they could easily leave again.  
As far as Undyne knew there were only two ways into the Underground, where Frisk fell and where the barrier used to be.  
It wasn't a big area to defend, so Undyne knew that the Royal Guard could handle it.  
Or at least she thought so. Maybe she didn't know.   
It crossed her mind that it may be time to look for new recruits. This wasn't just about killing one human anymore, it was about protecting monsterkind from thousands.  
In fact, Undyne thought that now was as good a time as any to run the idea past Asgore.  
She walked up to him casually, or tried to, as her tense shoulders betrayed what she really felt.  
"I think we should expand the royal Guard. I know frisk and Toriel are trying to reason with the humans, but we still need a backup plan."  
Asgore looked hesitant, but nodded and sighed.  
"You do not think the current members will do?"  
"I don't know, and that's the problem. Being on the surface was everyone's dream...but the humans could just take that away from us again. We have to be strong enough to fight back. I know the Royal guard weren't the only monsters who could hold their own in a battle. I say it should be all hands on deck until we've established a place in this world."  
Asgore looked at her sadly.  
"You are right. As grateful as I am to have reached the surface, I know we aren't safe yet."  
The two fell into a long silence, Asgore looking off into the sky, and Undyne following his gaze and tried to see beauty instead of danger.  
The sky grew darker and darker until it was a soft purple and blue color, and then pink was added into the mix.  
At this point Undyne wasn't the only worried monster, because Frisk and Toriel had yet to return.  
There was a small group, Undyne included, standing closely to the path Toriel and Frisk had taken, all looking for some sign of a return.  
Undyne's gut twisted with each passing minute.  
Frisk was just a child...  
But they wouldn't hurt frisk, right?  
Right?  
"We need a search party," she blurted out.  
Asgore agreed, and murmurs of approval came from the crowd.  
"As much as I would like to be involved,"  
Said the king, "I need to stay here for my people. And...I'm so big that I'll just give our position away."  
This drew nervous laughs out of everyone.  
"I'll lead," Undyne volunteered.  
"Asgore makes a good point. Stealth is just as important as strength right now. Those who accompany me must be small enough and quiet enough to keep a low profile in unfamiliar territory."  
Madjick and and final froggit were the first to volunteer. Undyne knew that the canine unit would have gladly come along, but they knew they weren't good on stealth missions.  
Papyrus volunteered and Undyne frowned at him, trying to figure out if the situation was indeed dire enough.  
Sans whispered something to his brother and backed away.  
So even Sans is scared, Undyne noted.  
"Uh..." came a small and wavering voice, "I'll go...if no one else wants to...if it's okay..."  
"Of course it is, Napstablook," Undyne told them, "I know you can fight and I know you can be quiet."  
No one said anything for some time.  
"So, uh, that's the search party. Me, Madjick, Final Froggit, and Napstablook."  
Undyne could admit that she'd had better soldiers.  
"I'm coming too," Sans added, stepping forward.  
"Alright," Undyne said in a voice she hoped was calm. She was still angry with him, justifiably, she thought.  
The path down the mountain was steep and rocky, and by no means stealthy.  
Twigs cracked under their feet and branches had to be pushed aside as the monsters trudged forward, and those were the only sounds heard. No one felt like talking, not even in whispers.  
Finally, the ground evened out.  
"The trail ends here..." Undyne commented, mostly to herself.  
"Hey," said Sans, drawing her attention. "I think we should just keep going forward. From what I know about them, Frisk and Toriel wouldn't go off in a random direction unless there was a reason. And I don't see a reason."  
"Sounds good," Undyne grumbled, purposefully not looking at Sans.  
It was dark now, and everyone was having trouble seeing in the dark.  
Undyne summoned a spear, and it's magic crackled through the air, illuminating the trees in an eerie blue glow.  
This startled the group, but Undyne reassured them that she was just using the spear as a light. There was no danger. Yet.  
Eventually the group reached the edge of a small town and stopped there. Undyne dissolved her spear, fearful of it attracting attention.  
They hid out of sight in the trees, and waited to see if any humans were around.  
No one was there. Street lights glowed dimly, house lights were on, but not one human could be seen.  
"I don't know....." Napstablook trailed off, "if I was really up to this....."  
"Ribbit." (This place is spooky)  
Madjick agreed with Final Froggit, nodding.  
"Where the hell is everybody?" Undyne whispered.  
"Hiding from the scary monsters," Sans almost whispered.  
"...right. Well. We should figure out where Frisk might be. Some kind of official building, probably."  
"Or a jail," Sans added. "I think it's pretty safe to say that Toriel arriving is what scared everyone away."  
"Yeah. Okay. Um...search parties, I suppose. Everyone pair up."  
This turned out to be a bad idea, because most of the monsters found patters within two seconds, leaving Undyne with Sans.  
Great.  
Fucking.  
Peachy.  
Once the two were alone, Undyne figured it was time to address what sans had done, although this place was certainly less than ideal.  
"I don't know what you're playing at, with that weird threat, but leave Alphys out of it. She's not a fighter like us. And yes, I know you're not just a lazy pile of bones in a hoodie. Papyrus told me. Try and scare me all you want, but going after my girlfriend is too far."  
Sans took a moment to respond as they continued slinking through the shadows, staying out of the street lights' range.  
"Desperate times. The problem with you is that you're damn hard to scare."  
He was answered with an aggressive nod.  
A scream sounded off from somewhere behind them and the two monsters stopped their arguing to go charging after the noise.  
They found Napstablook backed against a brick house, three humans pointing various weapons at them.  
A man holding a bace ball bat yelled to a woman next to him.  
"What do you mean, shoot it? It's a ghost!"  
The woman shrugged. "Ain't gonna do any harm, though."  
"Stop!" Undyne yelled, catching the group's attention.  
More screams.  
A blast fired through the air and a blast of pain blazed through Undyne's shoulder.  
The dirt smashed under her face as she fell, her entire body throbbing with pain.  
The world started to spin, all she could hear was her own heartbeat and shouts from above her.  
Undyne blacked out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! If you like the chapter, please consider leaving a comment!  
> Like I said I have a lot of other writing to do, and getting comments and talking with other alphyne trash is really motivational.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Undyne finds Frisk and Toriel. Yay?

Undyne woke in a sticky puddle of what she assumed to be her own blood.

Conversation floated above her, shouts of rage and a pleading voice that she knew from somewhere...

_Wait..._

That was Asgore's ex. Toriel.

_Toriel!_

Undyne lurched up, pushing herself off of the wooden floorboards, and rested her weight on her elbows.

She was indoors now. The group of humans were all facing away, yelling at Toriel.

That had to mean Frisk was here, right?

Sans was nowhere in sight. He was short though, so it would be possible to miss him behind the crowd.

Undyne scanned the room for the other monsters in her search party, but instead found an angry human glaring down at her, holding a rifle.

Fuck.

"Wh..." Undyne tried to growl, "what's g-going on? What do y-you have that...that thing pointed at me?"

"Be quiet, monster!" Yelled the human, his boot colliding with Undyne's ribs.

He will regret that. Later.

Right now the pain in Undyne's shoulder was too great to allow her any chance in a fight.

"You had your chance," came Sans's too-calm voice.

"No!" Toriel yelped. "We can't fight violence with violence."

"They're not giving us much choice."

"We have to do better."

"Please!" came Frisk's small voice. "Monsters aren't bad! They just want to live on the surface."

"They've got you brainwashed, kid," replied the woman with the gun. "Our ancestors locked these creatures underground to stop them from taking our souls. I dunno why they've kept you around for so long, but they're not your friends."

"You're wrong! Monsters only want the same things as humans do. We just want to live in peace."

"Lies, kid."

"If what you think of us is correct," Toriel spoke in a voice far too level for the situation, "then why is Frisk still alive? What plan could we possibly have in sparing this child if we wanted their soul?"

A gruff voiced man yelled back. "We expected your lies! The rest of the world forgot about the war, they called it myth, but our town was always prepared! This town stands beside Mount Ebbot as the first line of defense, should monsters like you breach the barrier. We're prepared for anything you've got."

Another man joined in.

"We're already organizing a search party to root out whoever you crawled up to the surface with."

Undyne tried to yell out, but she only grunted in pain as her shoulder throbbed and her chest ached.

On her second try she managed to speak. This also gave her time to think.

"W-we came alone..."

This earned her another kick.

"Pathetic," spat one of the humans.

Through the blaze of pain Undyne gathered all the strength she could muster into one glowing spear.

The human above her was hit before he even knew what was happening.

Shouts erupted from the room.

Blue magic, followed by flames, soared above Undyne's head.

She slowly rose to her feet, taking advantage of the confusion. 

It doesn't matter that I'm injured, she thought, I can still fight.

Undyne summoned another spear and stabbed the woman with the gun, non-fatally of course, given the nature of magic. If Undyne really wanted to kill her, she'd have to get in more hits.

That wasn't Undyne's plan. Her plan was to get the fuck out of this town. And get the fuck back up the mountain to warn the others if the remaining search party hadn't already. She didn't even know if they were alright, just that they weren't in this room with her.

Undyne dashed to Frisk and picked them up, then ran for the door. She only had one good arm now, so she couldn't fight back.

This went against almost everything she believed in, but it was best for her to run away. Sans and Toriel were more qualified for combat given the circumstances. What Undyne could do now to help was get Frisk out of here so that the other two could concentrate on combat.

Undyne kicked in the door and ran into the night, passing the small houses and stone sidewalks so fast that it was almost a blur.

Another shot rang through the air, a crash sounded, cries of battle pierced the air.

Undyne knew she couldn't run up the steep trail with a kid in her arm and the other arm still in searing pain, so she headed in a different, completely random direction. If she could get far enough away from the village, she could hide and find another way up the mountain.

"Where are we going?" Frisk asked, voice small and tight with fear.

"I," panted Undyne, "I don't know. Away. Somewhere safe."

"The others won't know where we are," Frisk protested.

"We can't climb the mountain like this. At least I can't. You could make a run for it, if you want. Warn the others in case something happens to Sans or Toriel."

"..."

"Well?"

They came to a clearing, of sorts. A wide stone road. Something felt sickeningly familiar.

Undyne stumbled into the trees at the side of the road and walked a few agonizing paces before slumping down against rough bark, not caring how it scraped into her neck and back.

Frisk was kneeling now, looking at Undyne.

"I'm not leaving you when you're hurt."

"Please, Frisk. Please go."

Undyne didn't want the words to come out as a sob, didn't want her pain to show when she needed to convince Frisk she was strong.

"I'm...not gonna be moving anytime soon. When it's safe...safer...you know where to find me. I'll go further into the forest and hide."

"You'll bleed out."

"I'll find something to bandage it with. I can probably use my shirt."

"..."

"You know I'm right. You gotta get out of here. I'm...determined too, remember?"

Frisk nodded.

And then they ran away, small legs shaking slightly.

Undyne felt just a little bit better now that Frisk was headed to safety.

Most monsters can fight. They could protect Frisk.

Now that the adrenaline rush was over, and all Undyne felt was the burning wound and the sting of the bark, the only thing left was the pain and fatigue.

But she would not die. She refused to die here. All she had to do was wait. Just wait long enough for help to arrive. Frisk wouldn't leave her behind.

 

\-----------

 

Frisk scraped their way up the mountain, breath hitching, trying to stay calm.

 

\------------

Hours had passed. No sign of Frisk, Toriel, or the search party.

Alphys leaned against the mountain, hoping the cold surface would ground her.

Mettaton was next to her, being surprisingly quiet.

"I guess we can't send anyone after the search party," he sighed.

"No," Alphys agreed. "Whatever h-happened to them would j-just happen to the next...the next group."

Alphys let out a shuddering sigh, determined not to shed any tears of stress that had been bubbling up ever since Undyne left. Alphys knew Undyne could take care of herself, of course she knew that.

It's just that Undyne didn't have the greatest track record when it came to fighting humans. And Frisk didn't want to fight. Alphys didn't want to think that Undyne could be out there fighting _hostile_ humans _._  


Getting to the surface world had been the dream of monsters for generations and whole generations had died out never getting to see the stars, and because Alphys knew this she felt a burning shame as she wished they had never left the underground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone's still enjoying the fic!  
> Tell me what you think in the comments~   
> Also if anyone has any good suspence/action tropes that they think might work well in the fic, tell me. :D I have the basic plot outline but a lot of things are still up in the air. Plus, I started writing this to give the lovely Alphyne fandom some more fic, so suggestions/requests from fellow Alphyne trash bags are welcome!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait/short chapter. I'm gonna try keeping the chapters shorter so that I can update faster.

Alphys heard footsteps and her heart soared before she saw that it wasn't Undyne. 

Toriel and Sans led, the bedraggled search party close behind them.

Undyne and Frisk were nowhere in sight.

Alphys tried to stop her heart from beating so loud she was sure someone could hear, she willed herself not to brake down into jittery tears, wished and wished that her hands would stop shaking. 

Undyne and Frisk were still down there. Or they were dead.

Alphys inhaled deeply and then let out a shuddering breath. 

She had to ask. No one else would speak.

"W-where are U-Undyne a-and Frisk?"

Toriel looked horrified.

"They're not here?"

"N-no."

Sans cursed.

Toriel started to explain what happened at the bottom of the mountain.

"Frisk and I found a small town, and when they saw me they were afraid. The rest of the surface world thinks monsters were only a myth, but they think it's their duty to stop monsters from returning to the surface. Their ancestors created the barrier. Frisk and I went peacefully to their town hall to try to reason with them, but nothing we said helped. We didn't want to escape using force because the humans were already on edge. We waited as the whole town gathered and discussed a plan of action."

"Then the search party arrived," Sans added.

"The humans perceived that as an attack," Toriel said with a frown. "Most of the search party managed to hide, but Undyne was shot."

"Her arm," clarified Sans, "but no one was patching her up. Eventually a fight broke out and Undyne ran away with Frisk. We thought they made it back here..."

Alphys was feeling woozy. Every part of her was alert and yet...

Mettaton gently eased Alphys to the ground, and she tried to focus. Her body was shutting down, resorting back to some primal desire to curl up and sleep until the danger had passed.

The danger wasn't going to pass, Undyne and Frisk wouldn't appear when she woke up. They were gone...lost somewhere on Mount Ebbot. 

Alphys didn't have enough energy to cry.

 

\------------

 

After what felt like hours but probably wasn't, scraping noises and crunching footsteps scampered up the small mountain path.

Frisk looked like, to be blunt, Hell. They were panting, their legs were shaking, dirt was smudged across their clothes and their skin.

"Undyne needs our help!"

Toriel scooped up Frisk before they even finished speaking, but Frisk pulled away from the hug.

"She's at the bottom of the mountain. She's can't climb up and I'm not strong enough to carry her. Someone need to get her! J-just go down the way I came..."

Frisk buried their face in Toriel's fur and cried silently, and Asgore rose to his feet and took off down the path, followed closely by Papyrus.

Alphys somehow managed to follow them, not close behind but not far off, despite the anxiety that bubbled in her chest and the numbness that covered everything else.

She couldn't feel right now. It was too much.

The path went on for far too long.

Eventually the group reached a forest.

It was completely silent.

"Undyne!" Yelled Papyrus.

A small noise replied and the group ran to find it.

Alphys almost passed out.

Undyne was slumped against a tree, blood-soaked cloth tied around her arm. The makeshift bandage wasn't doing much help; blood covered her shoulder and had even seeped into the fabric of her bra.

Her skin was ghostly pale, her eyes sunken as she looked up at the crowd around her.

More footsteps. Frisk came barreling into view, Toriel shouting for them to come back. They're face froze in horror.

"A-al...phys..." Undyne mumbled smiling a wide-toothed grin despite...everything.

Both Alphys and Asgore were at her side instantly.

"You're g-gonna be f-fine!"

"Alphys is right, we found you."

"Yeah..." Undyne whispered. "Uh, is...Frisk okay?" 

She looked worried now.

"Frisk is fine," said Asgore. "They told us where you are."

"Good..."

Undyne closed her eyes.

"U-Undyne!" Alphys almost yelled. "St-stay awake! Undyne!"

She opened her eyes just a fraction.

"I'm fine. I-I'm not gonna...die...here. Not a-after we've come this f-far. I-"

Her body flickered a bit.

This time Alphys did yell. 

"No! No no no no!"

Breathing was getting more difficult, Alphys's heart was beating too fast."

Asgore scooped Undyne into his arms.

"We have to get her to a hospital!"

"That's all the way back to the capital!" Alphys squeaked. "A-all the w-way b-back up th-the mountain. We won't make it in time!"

"No, I can do it!" Asgore took one step before Undyne's body distorted again.

"Alphys!" she called weakly.

Asgore stopped in his tracks, startled by Undyne's sudden movement.

Alphys pattered over to Asgore, and he lowered to one knee so that Undyne could see Alphys.

"I'm fine," Undyne said, looking into Alphys's watering eyes. "Don't worry about me! I feel better..."

Alphys reached out a hand to hold Undyne's, not wanting to give up this newfound hope. Undyne's form looked stable. She looked better than before.

And then something went wrong. Undyne's body didn't feel solid anymore. But it wasn't splitting apart...it was doing something much worse.

Alphys had seen this happen before. But...why was it happening to Undyne? She was melting, like all those poor dying monsters in Alphys's lab.

Alphys tore her hand away like she was burned, because what ever this was, it had to be her fault. This had only ever happened because of her.

Undyne groaned in pain, her voice horribly distorted. 

Then she did dissolve into dust. 

Alphys fell to her knees and stared blankly ahead. 

Asgore took a shuddering breath and crumpled to the floor, crying into his hands. He made no move to shake off Undyne's dust. He made no move except for the shaking of his shoulders. His sobbing was the only sound anyone could hear. Toriel stepped forward and rested a hand on his shoulder.

They may not be on good terms, Alphys thought numbly, but Toriel knew what it was like to lose a child. From all Undyne had told her, Asgore was a the closest thing she had to a father.


End file.
